SPARK has a positive impact on children in Alliance, Ohio.
That was the message Joe French, Alliance SPARK director, presented on May 2 during the fourth annual SPARK Ohio Networking meeting at Walsh University in Canton. SPARK stands for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids.
As part of his presentation, French highlighted results SPARK Alliance has earned from 2008 to 2011. Based on the KRA-L testing at the kindergarten level, data indicates SPARK students consistently academically outperform students that did not participate in the program. Statistics show an almost three-point difference in both 2008 and 2011 on a performance scale ranging from 18.5 to 23, meaning SPARK students consistently perform better, and by a sizeable margin.
“Research shows children who are prepared for kindergarten continue to do well in the early grades of elementary school and are more likely to graduate from high school and achieve success in life,” French reports. “SPARK has been working diligently over the past four years to increase the number of 'ready kids' arriving on the doorsteps of Alliance kindergarten classrooms. The KRA-L data shows children are more prepared for kindergarten because of their SPARK experience,” said French.
Click here to read an article in The Review about the May 2 presentation and about more SPARK results.

Dr. Anju Mader’s own children always know when it’s screening day, because she gets very excited to “go play with the babies.” And there are a lot of “babies.” Over a two-year period, many young children (ages 6 weeks to 5 years) will receive preventive health screenings conducted by Dr. Mader and her colleagues for the Healthy Kids Collaborative Project of the Stark County (Ohio) Family Council. The screening program was funded by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton. Read more about the program in the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton’s winter newsletter, which you can download here.

The Sisters of Charity Foundations of Canton, Cleveland and South Carolina were established in 1996 with the charge to address the root causes of poverty in the communities they serve. In 2011, the Sisters of Charity Foundations celebrate 15 years of ministry.
The foundations reaffirm the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine’s commitment to the materially poor, extending the health, education and human services ministry and purpose of the congregation to more holistically serve God’s people. Collectively, the Sisters of Charity Foundations have invested more than $110 million in their communities throughout the last 15 years. This year, each foundation will celebrate their anniversary with convenings, materials and special events designed to continue to tell the story and impact of this critical ministry. More...

As recently reported by The Repository, the Board of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton has awarded more than $1 million in grants for the fourth quarter. The grants were awarded to initiatives, collaborations and organizations that focus on helping the poor and underserved. More...

Canton, Ohio (December 1, 2009) The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton’s Board has announced Responsive and Good Samaritan grants totaling $290,105 to 12 local nonprofit and faith-based organizations and 6 strategic initiative grants totaling $664,965, for a total of $955,070 in grants for the third and fourth quarters of this year. More...

About Us

From its Cleveland headquarters, the Sisters of Charity Health System provides oversight, leadership and strategic direction to more than 20 organizations responding to community needs in Canton and Cleveland, Ohio, and South Carolina.